Recent developments in radio frequency licensing such as spectrum sharing have introduced new possibilities for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). In particular, Licensed Spectrum Access (LSA, proposed mainly for Europe in the 2.3-2.4 GHz bands) and Spectrum Access System (SAS, proposed mainly in the U.S. for the 3.55-3.7 bands) may open up access to previously restricted wireless frequency bands for mobile communications by allowing MNOs to share certain spectrum bands with “incumbent” users.
While the frequency bands targeted by LSA and SAS may be licensed and/or owned by incumbents (such as e.g. for government use), the targeted frequency bands are relatively underutilized over time and/or space. For example, incumbents may only rarely utilize the targeted frequency bands, and/or may only employ the targeted frequency bands in certain areas. Accordingly, both LSA and SAS propose similar systems in which the targeted frequency bands may be made available to cellular MNOs in scenarios, i.e. temporally and/or geographically dependent, in which the incumbent is not occupying the band. For example, one or more MNOs may be granted access to the targeted frequency bands in scenarios where the incumbent is not actively occupying the targeted frequency bands in a particular geographic area. MNOs may thus utilize the newly available bandwidth for mobile communications.